Rob Monaths new book on music copyright law, By the Book, will fit in your back pocket. That is a good thing because, in the digital world that music has become, you are going to need to keep it handy.


As a copyright attorney and music publisher, Monath has spent years helping clients navigate the treacherous waters of copyright law and has dealt with many professional music advisors who have made careers of hiding behind the laws inherent complexity. In response, Monath has crafted an efficient manifesto that lays out, in the simplest possible terms, a tested, three-step method for enabling musicians and music professionals to "lead a non-infringing, worry-free existence as regular users of music."



As Monath explains in the Preface, By the Book, "is not crammed with miscellaneous facts, rules, qualifiers, and exceptions." As a person who "has witnessed death by Power-Point presentation," Monath instead demonstrates a workable strategy for anticipating and avoiding common music copyright problems. "You do not need to be an expert," writes Monath, "but you do need to know how to protect yourself." The book is clearly written and entertainingly presented. The cartoons will be especially appreciated by anyone who has addressed the vexing issues that copyright law presents on a daily basis.



Music professionals who have previewed the book are expressing their gratitude. Marcia Farabee, Librarian for the National Symphony Orchestra and Past President of the Major Orchestra Librarians Association (MOLA), says: This book is informative, concise, and comprehensible! I wish I had had access to something like this many years ago when I was in training as a musician and educator.



Paperback: 77 pages

Publisher: Hinshaw Music (May 1, 2006)

ISBN-10: 0937276324

ISBN-13: 978-0937276327

Why did jazz become a dominant popular music genre in the 1920s and rock 'n' roll in the 1950s? Why did heavy metal, punk rock and hiphop find their way from sub-cultures to the established music industry? What are the effects of new communication technologies and the Internet on the creation of music in the early 21st century? These and other questions are answered by Peter Tschmuck through an integrated model of creativity and innovation that is based on an international history of music industry since Thomas A. Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. Thus, the history of the music industry is described in full detail. By discussing the historic process of music production, distribution and reception the author highlights several revolutions in the music industry that were caused by the inference of aesthetic, technological, legal, economic, social and political processes of change. On the basis of an integrated model of creativity and innovation, an explanation is given on how the processes and structures of the present music industry will be altered by the Internet, music online services and MP3-technology. A clear indication of a digital revolution in the music industry!

Hardcover, 300 pages
Kluwer Academic Publishers, January 2006

This guide, translated and expanded from the original German version published in 2002, gives young singers (opera or musical) a very detailed, practical, and above all realistic, insight into the audition process in Germany today. Gone are the golden days of getting engagements easily if you just have a good voice. Today's market requires being better, much better, than your competition, not only vocally, but artistically. Aspiring artists come from all over the world, vying fiercly for the few available positions in the approx. 90 music theatres of the three German speaking countries.



This book is required reading for any young singer who is planning on undertaking an audition tour to German speaking countries for the first time, planning on studying in Germany, or looking for an agent. It also includes a very useful appendix including suggested audition arias, up to date websites, and a German-English-German glossary.



Table of contents:
1. When in Germany, do as the Germans do; 2. Studying in Germany; 3. Auditioning; 4. The first engagement; 5. Singing in the chorus; 6. The singing business; 7. Vocal hygiene; 8. The principles of good singing; 9. Acting for the opera stage.



Submitted by Zenaida des Aubris, correspondent of Arts Management Network, Munich


Published 2005 by Bärenreiter Verlag, 212 pages

In what could be one of the most provocative music books published this year, two innovators in music technology take a fascinating look at the impact of the digital revolution on the music business and predict "a future in which music will be like water: ubiquitous and free-flowing." Kusek and Leonhard foresee the disappearance of CDs and record stores as we know them in the next decade; consumers will have access to more products than ever, though, through a vast range of digital radio channels, person-to-person Internet file sharing and a host of subscription services. The authors are especially good at describing how the way current record companies operate - as both owners and distributors of music, with artists making less than executives - will also drastically change: individual CD sales, for example, will be replaced by "a very potent 'liquid' pricing system that incorporates subscriptions, bundles of various media types, multi-access deals, and added-value services." While the authors often shift from analysts into cheerleaders for the über-wired future they predict - "Let's replace inefficient content-protection schemes with effective means of sharing-control and superdistribution!" - their clearly written and groundbreaking book is the first major statement of what may be "the new digital reality" of the music business in the future. (Feb.)

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Paperback 192 pages (August 1, 2005)


Publisher: Omnibus Press

Maxim Gershunoff is a natural storyteller, so it makes sense that he would want to tell the story of his very full life in show business. Throughout this easy-to-read memoir, the author writes about his personal life interwoven with the lives of music legends, including Benny Goodman, Leonard Bernstein, and Igor Stravinsky, and ballet stars, such as Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn, George Balanchine, and prima ballerina for the Bolshoi Ballet, Maya Plisetskaya. His close personal and working relationship with Sol Hurok brought Mr. Gershunoff into the company of such diverse personalities as Warren Beatty, Natalie Wood, Howard Hughes, and the Kennedys.


His involvement with the Soviet/American Cultural Exchange Program brought Gershunoff into the everyday lives of Soviet performers during a tension-filled time between the US and USSR.



Both a personal memoir and history, this compelling story of a renowned manager of the stars gives a unique and candid view into the world of creative arts and its personalities. Gershunoffs story is generous, frank, and honest.



Title: It's Not All Song and Dance. A Life Behind the Scenes in the Performing Arts


Hardcover 240 pages (April 27, 2005)
Publisher: Limelight Editions,U.S.

This comprehensive reference features in-depth discussions of every important music industry contract, all enlivened by personal anecdotes from the author's wide-ranging experiences. Updated to reflect the rapid pace of change in the music industry, this new edition includes a focus on group agreements, live performances, free music on the Internet, the effect of the Millennium Copyright Act, ancillary rights, and the independent record label. Other key issues covered include the artists' rebellion against record company contracts, litigation by superstars and songwriters against record labels, and the industry-wide downturn in record sales.


624 pages

Published in March 2005 (2nd edition)

(1st edition was from Feb 1999)

Contrary to the standard joke about how to get to Carnegie Hall, "making it" in music is not simply about practice, practice, practice. Today, over 200,000 people in the United States work as musicians. With competition for traditional employment opportunities for musicians becoming ever more heated, today's musicians must know how the music industry works and how they can tailor their skills accordingly. How can musicians create their own professional paths?

In Beyond Talent, veteran music career counselor Angela Myles Beeching offers up a comprehensive guide for musicians in search of work, demystifying the steps to success. Drawing on a wealth of real-life examples, the book untangles artist management and the recording industry and explains how to find and create performance opportunities. Guidance is also provided on grant writing and fundraising, day jobs, freelancing, and how to manage money, time, and stress. Straightforward and reader-friendly, Beyond Talent is filled with practical tips, examples, checklists, sample budgets, goal-setting exercises, and extensive resource listings.


This essential handbook goes beyond the usual "how-to"; Beyond Talent helps musicians tackle the core questions about career goals, defining success, and imagining and then creating a meaningful life as a professional musician.


ISBN: 0195169131, hardback, 360 pages, Published Dec 2004 by Oxford University Press

This handy guide will help musicians of all levels decide when to make an album to best compliment their skills and meet the objectives of a music career.


Paperback: 257 pages

Publisher: Allworth Press; 2nd edition (October 1, 2004)

If you belong to a band and love the art of your job, but sing the blues when it comes to the business, you need Music Law. Composed by musician and lawyer Richard Stim, the book explains how to:


book performances
choose a name and protect its use
copyright song lyrics
establish legal ownership of songs
sample legally
sign contracts
write a band partnership agreement
sell CDs, tapes and other recordings
and much more


Music Law provides all the legal information and practical advice musicians need. The 4th edition is completely updated to provide the latest in the law and legal forms. It also provides new information on converting a band partnership to an LLC, protecting song titles with trademark law, royalties for downloads & and much more. All the legal forms and agreements are included as tear-outs and on CD-ROM.

Paperback: 395 pages

Publisher: NOLO; 4th Bk&Cdr edition (October 2004)

Des Pres and Landsman, a producer/songwriter and songwriter, respectively, illustrate anecdotally much of their content in this solid introduction to the ins and outs of the pop music industry: "The overwhelming majority of people we talked to started out simply as music fans or as players and singers at the 'fun' level of garage band, church choir, or high school orchestra and chorus." Covering a variety of music professions, including singers (both solo and in groups), songwriters, session musicians, and producers, this work looks extensively at what to have in order to develop a music career and, once it's underway, what to be on the alert for. Also discussed is the broad topic of enlisting professional helpDlawyers, managers, agents, etc.Das a way of getting and keeping a career on track. The final chapter examines the impact the Internet and other technologies have had and will continue to have on the business. A recommended purchase where interest warrants. --- DDavid M. Turkalo, Suffolk Univ. Law Sch. Lib., Boston, MA

Paperback: 227 pages

Publisher: Allworth Press; 2nd edition (October 30, 2004)

The authoritative, standard reference on artist management in the music industry expands its insights even further in this updated edition, including developing e-business, the MP3 controversy and its lingering ramifications, copyright licensing on the Web, navigating trade identity issues on the Net, domain names, and the high-tech fight against cyber piracy. For managers in the music/entertainment field as well as musicians, music publishers, and company personnel


Table of Content


PART ONE Establishing the Artist-Manager Relationship

1 OVERVIEW

2 LAUNCHING A CAREER: THE FIRST STEP

3 FINDING A MANAGER/FINDING AN ARTIST

4 ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

5 THE MANAGEMENT CONTRACT


PART TWO Planning the Artist's Career

6 TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

7 ATTORNEYS, ACCOUNTANTS, AND BUSINESS MANAGERS

8 TAKING CREATIVE INVENTORY

9 CREATING THE CAREER PLAN


PART THREE Making the Plan Work

10 MAKING YOUR OWN BREAKS

11 THE ARTIST'S DEVELOPMENT TEAM

12 THE RECORD DEAL

13 MUSIC PUBLISHING

14 MUSIC VIDEOS, TV, RADIO, AND FILM

15 PERSONAL APPEARANCES

16 MERCHANDISING, COMMERCIALS, AND CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS

17 THINKING GLOBALLY


PART FOUR Career Maintenance and Control

18 THE MANAGER'S JUGGLING ACT

19 HELPING THE RECORD COMPANY HELP YOU

20 MANAGING THE ROAD

21 CAREER REVIEW AND EVALUATION


PART FIVE Mastering Success

22 COPING WITH THE STRESS OF SUCCESS

23 HOLDING ON TO YOUR MONEY

24 STARDOM AND BEYOND


Appendices

1 AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS AGENT-MUSICIAN AGREEMENT

2 AF OF M PERFORMANCE CONTRACT (LOCAL ENGAGEMENTS)

3 AF OF M PERFORMANCE CONTRACT (TOURING)

4 BROADCAST MUSIC, INC. (BMI) WRITER AGREEMENT

5 SONGWRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA

WRITER-PUBLISHER CONTRACT

6 POPULAR SONGWRITERS CONTRACT

7 EXCLUSIVE SONGWRITER CONTRACT

8 MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT

9 RECORDING CONTRACT (EXCERPTS)

10 ORGANIZATIONS, UNIONS, AND GUILDS

INDEX

Hardcover: 304 pages

Publisher: Billboard Books,U.S.; 4Rev Ed edition (Jan 2005)

According to Dr. Stephen Marcone, personal management is still the weakest link in a music business that operates by fragmenting its product. This comprehensive new edition: includes an updated recording agreement with current industry language and a sample merchandising agreement; takes into account the many changes in concert promotion; and features descriptions of new legal battles. Use this book as a helpful reference for: touring, publicity, contracts, marketing, trademarks, copyrighting, enhancing creativity and much more. "Straight-forward and up-to-date, this is an easy-to-understand and all-encompassing primer for aspiring bands and managers." - Walter O'Brien, Owner, Concrete Management, Inc. (manager of Pantera and others)
Dr. Stephen Marcone is Director of Music Graduate Studies and Professor of Music at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey.


Paperback: 259 pages

Publisher: HiMarks Publishing Co.; 3 edition (February 1, 2003)

Banning music strangles the very soul of a culture. Shoot the Singer! is the first global presentation of contemporary cases of music censorship. It examines the causes, methods and logic behind contemporary attempts by governments, commercial corporations and religious authorities to prevent people from hearing certain kinds of music (gangsta rap and narco-corrigos are two prominent examples) and the content of particular songs. The cases come from a surprisingly wide diversity of countries, including Afghanistan, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Turkey, North Korea, Burma, France, Algeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Cuba and the United States. What is startling is how worried such very different authority structures all are about music, and the range of techniques used to repress it. The contributors also explore the logic behind these concerns (including two instances where censors explain themselves what they were doing), and the implications of a digital world for music censorship in future.

This is a publication of the Music Managers' Forum which is an association largely for the pop industry. There is nevertheless a great deal of very useful information about recording contracts, collecting societies, music publishing etc.


Paperback: 352 pages


Publisher: Sanctuary Press (October 3, 2003)

ISBN: 1844920259

An authoritative reference to the legal, economic and financial aspects of the ultra-competitive music industry, this 9th edition features coverage on the legal implications of MP3, international cooperation in anti-bootlegging initiatives, the death and rebirth of Napster, secure copyright digital initiatives problems and achievements and more. It also includes an updated directory of websites for music business information and research sources.

Understanding the Music Business: A Comprehensive View thoroughly examines the dynamic and challenging music business. Written by Irwin Steinberg (former president of Mercury Records and CEO of Polygram Records), this third edition has become a standard resource in the Music Industry.

Born of necessity, UMB is an advanced music business text for students as well as a reference work for music business professionals. The text fully covers the basic aspects of the industry:
Contracts
Copyrights
Business models
Talent discovery
Record distribution
Independent labels and distribution
Supplemental income streams
International music industry
Radio
Satellite Radio
Billboard charts
Music publishing
Entertainment Law
New technologies


More importantly, UMB is the only current music business text that comprehensively addresses industry economics, talent selection, and provides a detailed description of radio promotion methodology.

In addition, the chapter on contracts debates the contract from both the artist's standpoint as well as the record company's standpoint. The chapter is not only a presentation of the artist contract and its variations but provides a rationale for key paragraphs in the contract from both perspectives.

This resource covers these topics concisely and with 21st century examples to provide you with answers in a fast, efficient manner.

To keep UMB even more up-to-date your purchase includes continued free access to Music Business Updates, an online service authored by Irwin Steinberg, which addresses ongoing topics such as digital music, mergers, downloading, and piracy.

The text combines "teach-ability, clarity, and thoughtful provocation" to make it a necessity in the classroom, office, or tour bus!

Shane Simpson's book 'Music Business' was originally published in 1994 and has been an invaluable reference tool and guide for, not only the experienced players in the industry, but also a 'must-read' for anyone interested in forging a career in the challenging, hazardous and rewarding music industry. After selling out its initial 6000 copy print runs, 'Music Business' has been fully updated and completely rewritten with the latest changes, expanded to enhance previous topics as well as take up new technologies and industry issues. Plus it's added over 150 pages to the initial edition to incorporate the array of changes in the entertainment industry as it affects music. Shane Simpson is the principal of Simpson's Solicitors, a firm specialising in intellectual property, media, arts, entertainment and new technology law. He has been a barrister, legal academic and a professional musician.

An essential source for any musician confronting the business side of making music. Fully updated with information on how the Internet has impacted the protection, marketing and distribution of music.


Paperback 456 pages (July 1, 2001)

Publisher: Prentice Hall

The Music Manager's Forum (MMF) was founded in 1992 to focus on the profession of the artist manager. Its members include the managers of some of the biggest acts in the world, as well as music-business professionals. As well as championing the managers' and artists' cause to governments, the organization shares its considerable knowledge and experience with its members. And now, through The MMF Guide to Professional Music Management, non-members can benefit, too. For anyone interested in music management, this comprehensive insider guide is a must. Topics include: managing contracts, guidelines for artist management agreements, recording contracts, enforceability of agreements, producer contracts, publishing contracts, agents, live perform ances, press and public relations, managing merchandising, insurance, band agreements, and information and communication technology. Also includes an international directory of MMF managers.


398 pages (March 2001)

Publisher: Sanctuary Publishing

Everything you've ever heard about the music business is true. It's a world where the rewards can be enormous, but the risks even greater. The key to success is knowing how the business works so you can protect yourself -- since no one will take as good care of your career as you.

That's where Donald S. Passman comes in. Because if you want the best advice, it pays to turn to the best in the business. His star-spangled list of clients shows that his advice is the best that money can buy. Now, from one of the music industry's most sought-after lawyers, here is the third revised and expanded edition of the book that the Los Angeles Times has proclaimed "the industry bible" -- the savvy insider's guide to every legal and financial facet of the business.

Whether you want a career as a performer, writer, producer, or executive, or whether you are just curious about the fascinating multibillion-dollar music industry, you will benefit enormously from this fully updated, comprehensive, and easy-to-read overview of the entire business.

# Hardcover: 448 pages
# Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd; Revised and Updated for the 21st Century edition (1 Oct 2000)